Chapter Text
The Honda flew along the bus lane and through a puddle, but Jin was too quick, darting back to avoid the spray that snatched at his trousers. Not today, mate, he scowled as it flew on. He was having a bad enough day and no idiot was going to make it worse.
He held his hand out to hail his bus as it finally trundled up in the Honda's wake. He'd already missed one. It had been just his luck today: rounding the corner to see the final passengers boarding the bus, half-way down the street: having to make that snap-second decison to either give it up, or to run and risk the humiliation of just missing it.
He'd ran. And just missed it.
He'd spent the last twenty minutes standing in the drizzle, twirling his umbrella over one shoulder impatiently, mulling over all the things he should have said at work while his boss was chewing him out. It wasn't Jin's fault his car had broken down in the driveway this morning, making him late. It wasn't his fault that their project was running behind when the team kicked back and surfed the net at every opportunity.
The bus ground to a halt, wheezing as the door slid open. As Jin folded his umbrella and shook the droplets off, he could already see that it was pretty packed, every seat taken and a cluster of people standing near the front holding onto the rails. He stepped aboard, steeling himself for an unpleasant journey. He could already smell the sweat and damp emenating from his fellow passengers. He dropped his fare in the slot, trying to figure out where to position himself to be the least inconvenience to everyone else.
Jin didn't take the bus often, but he'd always figured there were unwritten rules. What they had instead here was about twelve people all huddled near the front in no discernable order: a virtual blockade for him to squeeze his way through. It's not their fault he scolded himself as he took his ticket and shouldered his way through. You're in a bad mood because of work and the car and because last night was such a disaster. Don't be rude. Why won't she move two inches to the right though? Seriously.
He made it out of the mass and grabbed onto a rail as the bus jerked and set off again. Well, he was stuck standing in the aisle then, constantly looking out for seating passengers needing to get past.
But wait - was that an empty seat up towards the back? There wasn't a small child disguised from view, was there? Jin craned his neck, not wanting any more embarrasment. Nope, it looked free. He glanced back at the standing crew, none of them looked prepared to budge.
He made his way up to the seat eagerly.
There was a handsome young man in the neighbouring seat, who had angled his body towards the free seat, one of the free newspapers laid out on it. Perhaps he was so engrossed in the paper that he hadn't noticed the build up of human traffic towards the front of the bus. More likely he was a jerk who didn't care. Jin knew the type: thought his face entitled him to special treatment. Who wanted two seats to himself and had laid the paper there in an attempt to ensure it.
"Excuse me," Jin said firmly.
The young man heard him. Jin saw the lines in his body tense, but he refused to look up and made no effort to remove the offending paper from the free seat.
Normally Jin was ridiculously polite, deffering. Today was not a normal day.
He shrugged and sat on the newspaper.
"Hey!" Jerk protested in outrage. "I was reading that!"
"Did you pay for an extra seat for your newspaper? I don't think so," Jin snarked sweetly. "How about you don't be so selfish in public?"
He sensed the nearby passengers listening in, hoping for some drama on a grey Tuesday, but it seemed like Jerk was too dumb or too angry to do battle. He wrenched himself away from Jin towards the window and Jin sighed in some relief and propped his umbrella between his feet. He fished his phone out, and flicked through the couple of texts awaiting him.
From: Jimin
To: Jin
Did you get the beer smell out of your hair? Sorry last night blew :( We love you Jinnie!
Jin smiled softly. Tae and Jimin had organised a meal in Jin's favourite restaurant followed by a night at the theatre in honour of Jin finally getting over his breakup. It had all gone well till part way through Act 3 some drunk on the balcony had accidentally knocked his drink over the edge and square onto Jin's head in the stalls. The light plastic cup had done no damage, but beer streaming down his neck and dripping from his forehead onto his clothes while people recoiled from him had done wonders for his self-esteem. Tae had got splashed too, but he wasn't soaked like Jin. Jin had laughed it off and reassured Jimin and Tae that he was fine. He hadn't told them that he'd seen his ex in the audience smirking at his discomfort. He'd lost hours of sleep last night wondering if anyone had filmed it. He'd told himself that tomorrow would be a new day.
And what a day. He quickly replied to Jimin, and skipped over to Namjoon's text.
From: Namjoon
To: Jin
Hey, you busy on Saturday? Party.
Jin smirked.
From: Jin
To: Namjoon
Who are you, and what have you done with Joon? Yes I'm free! Send details. Can I bring the kids?
Jimin and Tae would kill him if he let them miss out on a party. Though Jin wasn't sure what Namjoon's definition of a 'party' was. He allowed himself a smile, sucking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. No matter how sucky a day was, his friends were the best.
It sounded like the rain was picking up and he glanced out of the window to check. Sure enough, there were rivulents twisting and winding down the pane, the background beyond them almost obscured. Jerk had his face firmly turned towards the window, and Jin almost looked away again, till he noticed Jerk's hands and the way they were positioned in his lap, linked together, clenching till the knuckles were white. Jerk's shoulders were hunched, and when Jin tilted his head out, he could see Jerk abortively swallowing. Could see that his nose was pink. And that his face was quietly mirroring the window. He hadn't made a sound.
"Are you crying?" Jin felt a wash of guilt roll over him.
Jerk hunched his shoulders and stared out of the window more steadfastly. He was crying.
"I'm sorry," Jin tried. "I was rude to you. I was having a bad day, and I took it out on you."
It struck him that Jerk might have had an even worse day than Jin had. It struck him that Jerk might not be a Jerk at all.
"Please accept my apology," he pressed, lowering his voice to avoid giving the bus a second show. "I really mean it."
Damn it, now that he looked at him properly, Not-Jerk was just a kid, probably younger than Jimin and Tae. Might still be a teenager. Had Jin just made a teenager cry on the bus? What kind of ass was he?
"Here," he rummaged in his pocket, praying that he had an unused hankie. He did. Small mercies. He thrust it towards Not-Jerk's hands, and was horrified when Not-Jerk visibly pressed himself into the side of the bus to get away from Jin. Maybe he had social anxiety, and Jin was making it worse.
"I am sorry," he said again, and laid the handkerchief down gently on the knee of the young man's jeans, returning to his own space. This really was the cherry on top, wasn't it.
The bus trundled on, new passengers getting progressively wetter and exasperating the standing passengers who had to share space with them. Jin glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw that Not-Jerk had picked up the handkerchief. That was probably going to be the extent of their communication unless Not-Jerk was getting off before Jin was.
Ten minutes later, Not-Jerk did begin to shuffle uncomfortably, reaching for some kind of art folder he'd had propped between his legs.
"Are you getting off here?" Jin said warmly, trying to save the kid asking him by standing in advance to step out into the aisle. "Do you want the newspaper? I should have asked you earlier!"
The kid shook his head. He'd stopped crying, but his face still betrayed him. Jin noted the way the kid held himself as he passed Jin by, head lowered, the way he clutched on to that art folder. Jin had to stifle a joke about the newspaper being molded to his butt, sensing that it wouldn't go down well.
The bus was a lot more empty by now, only one or two still standing through choice. Jin had a clear view of the boy as he pressed the stop bell and waited for the driver to brake, two stops before Jin's.
The boy was wearing a flimsy jacket with no hood. Jin watched him press the folder to his chest, trying to wrap his jacket around it, his wet eyes darting out at the rain, unable to protect it without bending it out of shape.
Jin's reaction was pure instinct. He hurried down the aisle towards the boy, whose eyes widened in what was almost comical horror.
"Take my umbrella," Jin said, holding it out.
The boy stared at him, agape. If anything, he edged a step back.
"You'll get soaked out there," Jin gestured. "It'll make me feel like less of a fool if you take it."
"I couldn't," the boy whispered, but he was still staring at Jin in sheer disbelief.
"You couldn't make me feel like less of a fool?" Jin joked, hoping to raise a smile.
"It's yours." The boy said. Jin wondered if it was the wrong time to notice that the boy was more than casually handsome. He had very striking features: huge eyes hiding under his fringe, a pillowy lower lip, a prominent nose that somehow kept his face soft, and cheeks that were begging to have a thumb gently brush the tear tracks away. Steady, Jin.
"I want you to have it," Jin said. "That's an important folder isn't it? It's art? You don't want to risk rain damage."
The boy's hugged his folder closer, protective, blinking from Jin's face to the umbrella, and back again.
Jin thought he was going to take it, but then the bus pulled to a halt and he was almost jerked off his feet.
"I'm sorry about earlier," the boy rushed out, just managing to meet Jin's eyes before darting off the bus.
Jin should have let him go.
Jin rushed off the bus, the doors whooshing shut behind him.
"I'm sorry about earlier too," he reminded the boy, putting the umbrella up hastily as rain pelted him. "I feel really bad about it actually. My name's Jin. Please take this, it'll protect your work."
"But then you'll get wet?" The boy looked at him with consternation, but Jin didn't miss the anxious way he tried to wrap his folder into his jacket again.
"Well.." Jin risked taking a step forward, the umbrella covering them both. "I do have a solution. Let me walk you home. I'll see you to your place, then I'll head home."
The boy's jaw dropped slightly at the idea. Jin caught sight of the cutest little overbite he'd ever seen. "Unless you think I'm a serial killer," he joked. "In which case, you're free to take the umbrella and send me on my way."
"If you're a serial killer I'm already in trouble," the boy said, and finally, finally Jin got a smile. It was a small one, but it still lit his entire face. He'd already taken a bit of a lashing from the rain in those seconds before Jin got the brolly over him, and he shook his head in minute, hurried movements, like a baby bunny trying to dislodge raindrops. Jin didn't miss the way the folder was being held closer to the centre of the cover.
"So, is it art?" He asked, gesturing.
The boy blinked. "Yes. Its my college portfolio." He began walking cautiously, and Jin kept pace.
"I'd love to be good at art," Jin said. "I can visualise so many cool things, but my hand and brain don't seem to be wired together."
"It just takes practice," the boy said softly. Jin caught sight of his name stuck on a label on the top left hand corner of the folder. Jungkook.
"And talent," he prompted. "Do you enjoy the course?"
Jungkook nodded. "I'm learning a lot." It appeared he wasn't going to elaborate.
Jin followed Jungkook across the road and into a residential area. Around them the rain sizzled across puddles and danced on car roofs. The temperature was dropping as the sky darkened and Jin decided this was the evening he was breaking his healthy eating streak. When he got home he was ordering in the greasiest pizza and wings he could. And making himself a hot water bottle.
"My name's Jin, by the way," he said, trying to strike up conversation again.
"You already said," a smile budded on Jungkook's face, and Jin felt warmth in his chest.
"I was just testing you to see if you'd been listening," he teased lightly. "I didn't want you mixing me up with Gene Kelly. Or Mary Poppins."
Jungkook scoffed quietly, and his smile grew a few millimetres. "I'm Jungkook," he said, "just in case you were going to mix me up with another nineteen year old student who can't fend for himself or protect his own artwork."
Jin noted that the kid was legal without meaning to. "There's nothing wrong with accepting help," he said cheerfully. "It's a valid means of protecting your work. I get help all the time. Just last month my best friends helped me smush oreos all over my ex's car. And they ate the other halves so there was no wastage. Can you imagine how tough it would have been to cover the entire car on my own?"
Jungkook blinked. "Did she deserve it?"
"He did." Jin watched carefully but Jungkook's microexpressions didn't change.
"I'd like friends like that," Jungkook said wistfully.
"Well as I always say: be the friend you want to meet," Jin said. "You best stock up on cookies."
Jungkook gave a little laugh.
"To be frank, you're pulling ahead of them already, they never laugh at my jokes." Jin added. "Woah-" He'd nearly walked on as Jungkook halted on the street.
"This is me," Jungkook said softly, turning in at the gate of a nice looking semi-detached house. Jin supposed he still lived with his parents.
"I'll see you up to the front door," he protested, but Jungkook shook his head quickly.
"No, thank you," he said, and blasted Jin with those doe eyes in a way that left him quite transfixed. "You're really kind."
"When I'm not picking fights on buses, sure," Jin smiled. "Hey I could buy you a coffee some time to apologise properly?"
Jungkook shook his head again. "I owed you the apology, not the other way around."
"Then you buy me a coffee," Jin proposed with a smirk. "I'll give you my number-"
Jungkook was already backing off. "I'm straight," he said abruptly, his eyes bugging.
"Oh god, no, I wasn't implying- I mean I wasn't hitting on you-" Jin's protest faltered as Jungkook backed out into the rain, but the small sincere smile flickering on Jungkook's face as Jin floundered made him just stop and smile back, shaking his head.
"Thank you," Jungkook whispered, then he turned and dashed up to the front door, bent over to protect his folder.
Jin waited just long enough to see that he had keys to get in, then walked on. He was a twenty five minute walk home from here, but it was worth it to see Jungkook home mostly dry. I didn't care if you were straight or not he thought. I just didn't want to be the guy who ruined your day.
X-X-X
The first thing Jungkook did was put his art folder on the side table. It had a few droplets on it, but was otherwise intact. His heart was hammering and swelling with gratitude at the same time.
Shakily, he shut the front door over and turned the key.
"Oh hang on, I think Jungkook just got home," Xal was saying in the livingroom. "Baby, is that you?"
Jungkook brushed the damp hair out of his eyes with shaking fingers.
"Kookie?" Xal's voice upped its pitch.
Jungkook impelled himself to turn the handle and walked in.
Xal was on the sofa, a huge fluffy towel folded up neatly beside him, his lights and camera equipment set up around him, clearly mid-recording. "You're soaking" Xal cooed, then stopped short. Stared at Jungkook, his face slowly morphing into anger. Jungkook felt himself begin to quake, his stomach roiling.
Xal clapped twice, sharply, to mark the point where he'd cut the footage. He rose up from the couch, and surged forward, looking Jungkook up and down.
"Someone gave you a ride home," he accused, his voice cold with fury.
Jungkook shook his head. It felt like a stone had lodged itself in his throat. He should have been smarter. He should have taken that umbrella from Jin and ditched it as soon as Jin was out of sight.
Xal looked past Jungkook to where his folder, almost bone dry, lay on the table. His head snapped back and Jungkook cringed in fear.
"Oh, you are screwed baby boy," Xal breathed out. "I'll deal with you when I've finished filming. Now go outside, and stand till you're drenched. And you better look like you've just got home when you walk back here, understand?"
Jungkook nodded, gulping.
"Don't start crying!" Xal snapped, pointing at his eyes. "People don't cry because they got wet do they?"
Jungkook shook his head, trying desperately to rein the hot tears back. He slowly turned, the hairs on the back of his neck bracing for a blow, and headed back out into the cold rain.
X-X-X